Apparatus for canning skinless sausages



4-. A w. M. YulLL 4 2,363,218

APPARATUS FOR CANNING SKINLESS SAUSAGES Filed Sept. 5. 1941 N VE/V TOR fizz/$ 1M! Ya zzz Patented Nov. 21,1944

l 1 SAUSAGES l "William Muir Yuill, Edinburgh; Scotland Application September 5, 1941,Serial No. In Great Britain May 29, 1941 4 Claims.

This invention is concerned with the preservationof foodstuffs in cans and like receptacles and particularly with apparatus for attachment to meat presses or for attachment to presses for otherplastic food Substances or food preparations, the object of the present invention being to enable the meat or'other foodsubstanceto be packedinto cans or like containers in the form of skinless sausages, a plurality of such sausages being accommodated in. each can or like container.

Although the term sausage? is generally used todenote an article consisting principally of minced meat enclosed in a thin casing or skin, it

is to be understoodthat the word sausage. is

used herein to define any food substance or food preparation formed into rod shape; whether circular, oval or other shape cross-section.

, The apparatus of the present invention comprises a cylindrical or other suitably shaped filler casing closed at one end except for the provision of an inlet branch for attachment to the outlet connection of a meat or like press, the portion of the casing remote from the said inlet branchcontaining a plurality of parallel tubular passages arranged longitudinally in the casin and dividing the interior of the easing into an inlet chamber for the sausage meat or other plastic food sub stance and a tube chamber containing tubes whichcanbe charged with the meat or other food substancefrom the inlet chamber, the tubes being adapted to deliverthe meat or other food substance in the former skinless sausages to cans. or like containers which can be fitted to the delivery end of the filler casing to receive the sausages, and associated with the filler casing is a cutter adapted to sweep across the delivery end of the casing to sever the sausages wheneach can 01 like container has been filled.

My invention results in the can or like container being filled with a plurality of skinless plan View. of the filler casing with[ the cutter l3 shown just after the start of a cutting operation.

In the example illustrated I have shown a vertical meat press 5 having a lateral outletbranch 6.

The attachment illustrated comprisesacylindrical. metal filler casing I having anend cover 8 which is tightly fitted to prevent leakage. The

side of the casing l is provided with a lateral inlet branch 9 screw-threaded at ill for attach ment to the lateral outlet branch 6 Of'the meat press 5 so that the filler'casing' l is suspended in a vertical position at theside of the meat press with the end coverB closing the upper end of the casing 1, xlnsidethe filler casing and below the inlet branch 9 is ablock I l formed with a plurality of parallel vertical tubular passages I2 opening th l'Qu h bOth endsofthe block ll. Below the block I I is an apertured cut ter disc 13 having apertures 14 equal in numher to and adapted to register-with the tubular passages-l2. The block H is cylindrical and snugly fits the casing 1 and. to prevent rotation of the block 1 l, thelatter has a notch or recess which engages 2. lug l5projecting from the casing 1. To support the block I l and cutterdisc l3 inthe lower partof the casing "l, the upper I6 is fitted with a crank handle l1 movable through 180 degrees from the position shown in Fig. 4 from a position in which it abuts against a stop IS on the cover 8 until it abuts against a second stop I9 on the cover 8.

other suitable support 20 is provided on the meat sausages, the spaces between which may be filled with molten lard or any other suitable liquid food preservative or seasoning. The sausages are also all of even and uniform shape.

The accompanying drawing illustrates as an example one form of apparatus accordin to my invention, Fig. 1 being a fragmentary from; view of a meat press having my apparatus attached. Fig. 2 is a front view to a-larger scale of the apparatus removed from the meat press; the view shows part of the filler casing and tube block in section. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing the tube block. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cover for the filler casing. Fig. 5 isa bottom press 5 at a suitable distance below the filler casing 1 to receive and support a can or other container 2| which is to be filled with skinless sausages.

It will be apparent that the meat or other food substance delivered b the press 5 through the outlet branch 6,;enters the upper part of the filler casing I through the lateral branch 9 and is forced through the passages 12 in the form of skinless sausages which are delivered into the container 2|. When the desired length of sausage has been delivered, the crank handle I! is reciprocated' to cause 'the cutter disc Hi to sever the sausages. In this manner cans or like containers T'QFF'CE! A bracket or can be successively and rapidly filled with skinless sausages all of even and uniform shape. The

' cross-sectional shape of the sausages will depend When a can 2| is fitted to the deliveryend of v the filler casing I, the pressure of-themeat forced. through the block H causes skinless sausages td be delivered into the can 2| until the desired end of the passages l2 in the block my 7 Having described my invention, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that'clianges andrnodificationsmay be made without, departingfrom thev spirit-andfscope. thereof. I, there.-' fore, wish, to 'be limited only by the appended claims. I I a What Iclai m as, new and desire to. secureby United. States Letters Patent is:

1 Means for filling a receptaclewitlialplw rality of, casingless sausages from a foodlpress comprising a vesselopen at one endandhaving achamber at its other. end, adapted for connection tothe interiorsof. the foodpress, a meat divider. filling a portion of said vesselat the open end thereof, the end faceof said meatdivider being similar in size-and shape to the open end of the receptacleto be=filled, a plurality ofIparallel open-ended passages.extendinglthrough said press, comprising, a cylindrical lvessellopenlataone end, the internal diameter of; saidgvesselrbeing equalor almost: equal to. the internal diameter of the receptacle to lie-filled, an inlet branch opening into said vessel at its; closed end and adapted for attachment to; an w outlet. branch on the food press, a meat divider filling a portion of said vessel at the open end thereof, said meat divider having a plurality of parallel tubular passages extending therethrough in a direction parallel to the axis of the vessel,.a cutter disc movable over the outer end face of said divider, said cutter disc having apertures equal in number and shape to the number andcross sectional 'shape of the outerends of'said'passages, means for turning said cutter disc, and means for supporting the cylindrical receptacle with its rim against the rimtatthe open. end of said vessel and with its axis in alignment'with the axis of the vessel. 31 Means for filling a receptacle with a pluralitywof casingles's sausages from a food press,

comprising a vessel having an open delivery end adapted. to fit the can or container to be filled and having a chamber .at its other end adapted for connection to the interior of the food press, a meat divider. filling. a portionof said vessel, at the open. end thereof, a plurality of 'parallel, open-endedpassages extending through sa'ididi'j vider in the direction o'fits axis, a centralfspindle extending axially through said vesselfjandj rbtat? able in w an axial passage through saidnivider; a cutter fixed to one end" ofi'saidspindle and mov able acrossthe outer'end face ofsaidfidividerj means for turningfsaidjspindle; andme ans;fbr supporting a can or container with its: open end. fitted to the open end of'said'vessel;

4. Means for filling sausages, directly into a cylindrical can from a foodzpress" comprising a cylindricalvesselclosed at one end andYopn at its other; end; the openend'ofsaidivessel ing adapted torfitthe can tobe filled, anihlet branch .opening into said vessel at its closedenjd and adapted for'attachm'ent to anoutlet branch on the food press, 'a meat. divider, fillingi i Dior tionof said vessel at the open endthereofj said meat dividerfhavingja' plurality'ofparallel tubue larl passages? extending, therethrough in'L'a. direc= tion parallelt'o thejaxisoftlievessel; a cutter'disc movable'over theout'erendf'f'ace. offsaid" "r",

said cutter disc having, apertures jequal'inj ber.andsh'ape.to the number and cross secti l shapeofthe'outer ends of 'sa'idlpa'ssag'es, eans for turning said 1 cutter disc, and means forgfsup' portingea.v cylindrical can with it's open endifitted to. the, open end. of." said? vessel. and with its a'xis in..a1ignment.witlirthei axisoffthe, ,v'e'sse1', I 

